Alarm for incubator and brooders.



J. TRAPP.

ALARM FOR INGUBATORS AND BROODERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

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ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES TRAPP, OF VALLEY FALLS, KANSAS.

ALARM FOR INGUBATORS AND BROOIJERS.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

Serial No. 635,533.

To all whom may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES TRAPP, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Valley Falls, in the county of Jeffersonand State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Alarms for Incubators and Brooders, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

As is well known to those familiar with the operation of incubators itis essential that the temperature therein be maintained as near aspossible at a uniform degree during the period of incubation, for anysubstantial variation in the temperature destroys the germs of the eggscontained in the incubator and results in great loss.

The object of my invention therefore is to produce an alarm which in theevent of a variation in the temperature within the incubator will beautomatically sounded, notifying the attendant, who may at once give thenecessary attention thereto as the conditions may require.

The foregoing object is secured by the ap paratus illustrated in theaccompanying drawing f0 ming a part of this specification in which likecharacters of reference indicate like parts throughout the views, and inWhich Figure 1 shows an end view of an incubator with the alarmconnected thereto; Fig. 2 shows a front view of the alarm and its triplever; and Fig. 3 shows the alarm in side elevation looking toward theright in Fig. 2.

In the drawing A represents an incubator of any usual or preferredconstruction, and B the lamp or heating apparatus which is of the usualform and arrangement and generates the heat which is conducted in theusual manner to the interior of the incubator. As is well known to thoseskilled. in this art the heat generator is controlled by a damper Gcarried by a counter balanced lever D pivoted at some point to the bodyof the incubator as at E, and the rise and fall of this damper C whichis directly over the flue or chimney of the heater B regulates thegeneration of heat, it being intended that in the event of a risingtemperature the damper G will be elevated above the flue or chimney ofthe heat generator, permitting the sur lus heat to escape into theatmosphere, and a corresponding decrease in temperature is intended toresult in the dropping of the damper over the chimney or fine,

thus confining the heat in the drum of the heat generator and securing aresultant rise of temperature in the incubator.

lVit-hin the incubator is some form of thermostat which need not beshown or described as it is well known by those familiar with this artand leading from this thermostat and actuated thereby is a controllerrod F shown in cross section in Fig. 2, and this controller rod F at itsouter end outside of the casing of the incubator is connected to a rod Gwhich is pivotally connected at Gr to the counter balanced damper leverD.

All of the foregoing parts may be of any usual or ordinary constructionand of themselves constitute no part of the present invention.

The movements of the regulator rod F as imparted by the thermostat inoperating the counter balanced lever D to control the heat generator, ismade use of in the present invention to sound the alarm in the eventthat the temperature within the incubator should at any time beincreased or diminished to an undesirable extent. The alarm consists ofa gong H suitably mounted upon a post H carried by a plate H which bymeans of screws H is attached to the case of the incubator adjacent tothe point where the regulator rod F extends through the side of thecase. The gong H is sounded by a hammer K carried by a. hammer arm Kpivotally mounted upon a post K and the hammer arm is vibrated to causethe hammer to strike the gong by means of a suitable spring or clockmotor K which comprises an escapement wheel K, the teeth of which areengaged by the legs of an escapement K which forms a part of or isconnected to the bearing to which the hammer arm K is connected; thusthe escapement controls the operations of the spring motor and thevibrations of the hammer arm. If the escapement is held from movementthen the motor is inactive, and consequently the hammer arm is held frommovement. 1f the escapement is permitted to move then the motor unwindsand imparts a vibrating movement to the hammer arm, sounding the alarm.

It ap 'iears to be unnecessary to describe in detail the spring motor,suffice it to say that it is of any usual form and different typesthereof are commonly used. in the operation of door bells and similaralarms, and like all such motors it is provided with a suitable powerspring S which is wound up by a key S.

As hcrcinbefore stated the escapement controls the gong soundingmechanism and as long as the escapement is held from movement the gongsounding mechanism is inactive, and therefore I have provided a triplever L which is pivotally mounted upon the post H which supports thegong H, it being held to the outer end of said post by means of a screwL and a washer If. this trip lever L is arranged to engage an arm Mextending upward from the escape ment K and whenever the arm is engagedby the end L of the lever L the escapement will be held from movement aslong as the lever L remains in its normal position. It is intended thatit shall remain in its normal position as long as the temperature withinthe incubator remains at normal or that degree of heat which is desired. The displacement of the lever L from its normal position torelease the arm M and permit the alarm to be sounded is effected. by themovement of the regulator rod F under the influence of the thermostatand owing to a change in temperature within the incubator. To securethis result the arm L of the lever L is provided with a yoke Lpositioned to embrace the rod F at the point where it emerges from thecase of the incubator, and the arms of the yoke are pref erably providedwith adjustable contacts lr" so that the extent of movement of the rod Fwhich may take place before one of the yoke arms or its adjustablecontact will be engaged by said rod to shift the trip lever L may beaccurately regulated and thus regulation according to the minimum andmaximum variation in temperature which may be permitted before the alarmis sounded can be effectively secured. The arm M is adj ustably mountedas by a screw M and nut M to a bent arm lul' connected. to theescapement, and thus the position of the arm hi with relation to the nutIf of the lever L may be correctly adjusted.

In operation the spring motor is wound up in the usual manner by the keyS so that the arm M will have contact with the extreme and slightlyrounded point L of the lever L. In this position the lever L restrainsthe movement of the escapement A and consequently prevents the unwindingof the motor and the vibration of the hammer arm, and the parts willremain in this position so long as the temperature within the incubatorremains normal. In the event One end of j the arm carried by that thetemperature either increases or decreases abnormally, or to an undesiredextent, the rod F which is moved by the thermostat within the incubatorto control the movements of the damper lever C will, if it moves to therequired extent, come in contact with one of the arms of the yoke L orwith one of the adjustable contacts, and slightly moving the lever up ordown, as the case may be, will release the arm M from its engagementwith the rounded end L of the lever. Thus the escapement is released,permitting the spring motor to unwind and through the variousinstrumentalities imparting a rapid vibratory mot-ion to the hammcr armA, which through the hammer K strikes the gong, sounding the alarm. Theattendant may at once proceed to investigate to determine whether thetemperature is abnormally high or low and take steps to remedy thecondition.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In an incubator alarm, the combination with adamper lever, a regulator rod, and a rod connecting the regulator rodwith the damper lever, of a spring motor, a gong, a hammer leveroperated by the motor, a de tent for holdin the motor inactive an u)-wardly extending arm carried by the detent, and a trip lever pivotedintermediate its ends upon the post securing the gong in position, said.lever having one end forked, the members of the forked end of the leverextending on opposite sides of the regulator red, the other end of thelever being in engagement with the arm of the detent when said lever isin normal position.

2. An alarm for incubators, comprising a plate, a gong mounted on theplate, a spring motor mounted on the plate adjacent to the gong, ahammer lever operated by the motor, a detent for holding the motorinactive, an arm carried by the detent, and a trip lever pivotedintermediate of its ends on the post securing the gong to the plate, oneend of the lever when in normal position engaging the detent and itsother end being forked and provided in each member thereof withadjustable contacts.

in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES TRAP? ll itnesses Louis PUDERBAUGH, JNo. W. Roor.

. Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

